1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to a load-bearing scaffold or support structure for beds and the like which provides substantially one hundred percent unobstructed floor space in sleeping quarters and garages. The present invention discloses a unique system for adjustably securing the ceiling beams of the invention to the end supports thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Load-bearing scaffolds are well known in the construction arts. Such scaffolds are generally adapted for supporting workmen, construction equipment, and building materials.
Also known are bunks and berths adapted to provide sleeping accommodations for passengers, military personnel, students, or small children. These apparatus are often adapted to be supported from poles anchored to the floor and ceiling of a room. For example, apparatus of this general species are disclosed by Lein, U.S. Pat. No. 665,535; Rodrigues, U.S. Pat. No. 958,895; Gosso, U.S. Pat. No. 1,325,320; and Gosso, U.S. Pat. No. 1,089,545.
Also known to the art are bunks or berths adapted to be supported by anchoring the bunk or berth to a wall. For example, apparatus of this general species are disclosed by Lein, U.S. Pat. No. 669,175; Dowling, U.S. Pat. No. 822,592; Rodrigues, U.S. Pat. No. 860,941; Gumm, U.S. Pat. No. 1,001,946; Thompson, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,387; Coomes, U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,254; and Trexler, Jr., et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,276.
Inventions of this type are unsuitable for the present objects since their installation requires that they become room fixtures. Additionally, such bunks or berths necessarily require the dedication of otherwise useful floor space.
Freestanding bunk beds are also known to the bunk and berth art. Examples of this type of bed may be found disclosed by Lein, U.S. Pat. No. 631,962; Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 1,195,637; Weaver, U.S. Pat. No. 1,253,549; and Janson, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 1,349,962.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,616 provided a support structure for beds and the like which derived at least some of its support from the interior surfaces of a room. Although the device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,616 represented an advance in the art, the invention described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,829 was an advance thereover due to the fewer components parts, ease of assembly, and superior strength.
It is believed that the instant invention represents an advance over the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,829 and other prior art due to the unique method of adjustably securing the ceiling beams to the end supports.